Admin Roles

Admin Roles defines access to the Clowder Admin Panel. Each role defines what an administrator can see, manage, and configure. Roles can be customized with granular permissions across content, system, management, and access rights.

Role hierarchy

Clowder uses three administrative roles, ordered from most to least access:

Administrator > Group Admin > Publisher

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Note
All three roles can be granted or limited access to any rights in the permissions table below. The descriptions here reflect the default scope of each role.

Administrator

Administrators have full access to the Admin Panel. An administrator can control all aspects of the application: content, users, settings, and integrations.

Default capabilities:

Create, edit, and delete all content types: events, forums, news feed posts, resources
Manage all app users: invite, deactivate, assign roles, view profiles
Create and manage groups and their structure
Send push notifications to any audience
Manage advertisements and sponsorship placements
Configure directories, tags, emails, and user flags
Access system rights: Custom Page editor, Manage Cron
Access Badge Builder and Map Builder
Create and manage other admin roles (Administrators, Group Admins, Publishers)

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TIP
When to assign: Organization administrators and app owners who need unrestricted access to all platform features and the ability to manage other admins.

Group Admin

An administrator scoped to one or more assigned groups. Group Admins have elevated permissions within their groups but limited access to the broader system.

Default capabilities	Default restrictions
Manage content within assigned groups: events, forums, news feed, resources	Cannot create new groups
View and manage users within assigned groups	Cannot manage Administrators
Create and manage Group Admins within their groups	Cannot access app-wide settings, dashboard, or analytics (unless explicitly granted)
Create and manage Publishers within their groups	Cannot manage advertisements, directories, or integrations (unless explicitly granted)
Send push notifications to group members (if granted)
Moderate activity and comments within the group
Access granted management and system rights for the group scope

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TIP
When to assign: Committee chairs, chapter leaders, section heads, and regional managers who manage a specific segment of the organization and need to delegate work to other Group Admins and Publishers.

Publisher

A content-focused role with access to create and moderate content within assigned groups. Publishers work within the content layer of the Admin Panel without access to user management or system settings.

Default capabilities	Default restrictions
Create, edit, and moderate content in assigned groups: events, forums, news feed	Cannot create or manage other admin roles
Manage resources within the group scope	Cannot create or manage groups
Moderate comments and activity on their content	Cannot manage app users or change permissions
	Cannot send push notifications (unless explicitly granted)
	Cannot access dashboard, analytics, or system rights (unless explicitly granted)

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TIP
When to assign: Content managers, marketing team members, and community managers who need to publish and moderate content without access to administrative controls.

Configurable permissions

Each role can be customized by granting or removing individual rights. The following table lists all available permissions grouped by category.

Content Rights	System Rights	Management Rights	Access Rights To
Events	Custom Page	Advertisements	Badge Builder
Forums	Manage Cron	App Users	Map Builder
News Feed	Report	Dashboard
		Directories
		Manage Emails
		Manage Groups
		Manage Tags
		Messages
		Push Notifications
		Resources
		User Flags

Creating an admin role

To create an admin role:

Go to Admin Roles > Admin Roles in the Admin Panel
Click Create Admin Role.
Fill out the required fields:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Email/Username
- Password (enter and repeat for confirmation)
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NOTE
For Publisher or Groups Admin, select the appropriate groups
Choose the role type from the drop-down: Publisher, Administrator, or Groups Admin.
Set the Status to Active.
(optional) Click Add Image to upload a profile picture.
Grant permissions by selecting the necessary rights:
- Content Rights (Events, Forums, News Feed)
- System Rights (Custom Page, Manage Cron, Report)
- Management Rights (Advertisements, App Users, Dashboard, etc.)

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NOTE
This step is only relevant for publishers and group admins. Administrators get full access by default.

Click Save to create the role.

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Warning
Changing a user's role type takes effect immediately. Downgrading an Administrator to Groups Admin or Publisher removes their access to system-wide settings and user management.